HAMPTON ROADS, VA —The Bank of America Charitable Foundation announced today that five students from Hampton Roads will be awarded eight-week paid summer internships at local nonprofits through the Bank of America Student Leaders program.

Although the overall economy continues to show signs of improvement, youth unemployment remains at a record high. This holds true here in the Hampton Roads area where 13.2 percent of teens are neither employed nor in school. That’s why Bank of America is focused on connecting young people to the education and training they need to succeed in the 21^st century workforce.

“Early employment is a critical stepping stone on the pathway to financial security, yet young people face a number of challenges in finding job opportunities today,” said Charlie Henderson, Hampton Roads market president, Bank of America. “These internships give teens in our community the chance to develop important workforce skills while earning what for many will be their first paycheck.”

Following are the five participating students from Hampton Roads:            

• Caroline Broom, a Chesapeake resident and rising senior at Grassfield High School, is interning at the Greenbrier Family YMCA of South Hampton Roads in Chesapeake.
• Aaron Brown, a Chesapeake resident and rising senior at Great Bridge High School, is interning at the Great Bridge YMCA of South Hampton Roads in Chesapeake.
• Natalie Ebreo, a Virginia Beach resident and recent graduate of Ocean Lakes High School, is interning at the Mt. Trashmore YMCA of South Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach.
• Jamie Nervil, a Portsmouth resident and rising senior at I.C. Norcom High School, is interning at Horizon Hampton Roads in Portsmouth.
• Casey Reilly, Chesapeake resident and recent graduate of Western Branch High School, is interning at Horizon Hampton Roads in Portsmouth.

In July, these five young individuals will join more than 200 other Student Leaders from around the country for a week-long leadership summit in Washington, D.C., where they will participate in skill-building workshops, a service learning project, sessions to develop better money habits and meetings with Members of Congress. Since 2005, the program has connected 60 teens from Hampton Roads with summer employment, and has supported 2,200 young people nationwide.

To learn more about Bank of America’s corporate social responsibility efforts, visit www.bankofamerica.com/about and follow @BofA_Community.